Ertz: ‘Doing everything I can’ to get back

McLaurin could technically return later in the session and go down as a limited participant, but we highly doubt that will happen. He will be listed as a DNP for the second day in a row, making it extremely unlikely he is available for Week 5. After facing the Giants this week, the Commanders get a slightly longer rest period before taking on the 49ers on Monday in Week 6. If they are worried about McLaurin re-aggravating the issue, they get their bye the following week, which would give him plenty of time to recover. For now, Stefon Diggs and Antonio Williams will lead the team’s receiver room.

Diggs was held out of Wednesday’s session because of the hamstring issue. Even a limited practice today puts him on track to suit up on Sunday. Terry McLaurin, on the other hand, looks likely to miss another week with a hamstring injury of his own. That will put Diggs in the WR1 seat for Week 5 against the Giants. Antonio Williams will continue to operate as the team’s No. 2 receiver.

That role increase is, of course, Payton’s way of saying he is taking back play-calling duties from OC Davis Webb. Schefter tried to cushion the blow by saying Webb will still have a “significant game-planning and game-day role.” While Schefter didn’t outright say that Payton is now the play-caller, PFT’s Mike Florio reported this morning that Webb is no longer on the headset. It’s one of the most predictable outcomes of the season. Payton is a legendary coach known for his offensive genius. He was always going to take back the play-calling gig the moment things went south, though we doubt he expected it to happen this quickly. The Broncos are a dismal 27th in points per game. They rank slightly better in EPA per play at 21st, but that’s still a disappointing start for this offense.

McCarthy told reporters the team is evaluating Pittman’s roster spot, meaning they could place him on injured reserve. He would miss at least four weeks while on IR. Pittman tried to play through the foot injury but only made it two weeks before aggravating the issue. He was spotted using a scooter to support his foot in the locker room on Wednesday. We suspect the Steelers will place him on IR to give Pittman enough time to fully recover. Germie Bernard will now operate as the team’s permanent WR3, with Roman Wilson taking on more work as the clear No. 2 receiver. Both players will be decent FLEX options for Week 5.

Daniels is practicing in full and is expected to return to the lineup this week. He has suffered the same elbow dislocation twice in the past year, but his game-changing running ability is a big part of what makes Daniels a potential superstar quarterback. Blough might be more tactile with how he calls quarterback runs, but they will still be in the playbook this week. Daniels will be a low-end QB1 once he is officially cleared to play.

Williams has already been ruled out for Week 5, but Wiederer notes that he is “progressing notably with his on-field recovery steps.” He added that the Bears having a Thursday game in Week 7 complicates things slightly. If Williams returns in Week 6, he will have an unusually short turnaround to his next game. That’s a bridge the Bears will potentially have to cross next week. For now. Tyson Bagent will draw the start again on Sunday. Ben Johnson has made magic with both of his backups so far. We fully expect the offense to survive one more week without Williams under center.

Smith will presumably retake his starting spot at left guard after practicing in full this week. He missed the first month of the year while on IR because of a late-summer thumb injury and subsequent surgery. Dallas will now have their three-time Pro Bowl lineman back for Week 5.

Love was listed as a limited practice participant after he tweaked his ankle in the Cardinals’ Week 4 loss to the Giants. Though he seemingly seized command of Arizona’s backfield in Week 3, Tyler Allgeier was heavily involved in Week 4 as Love hurt his ankle. He was already nursing his other ankle heading into the season and may see limited touches again with this latest tweak. Love is still trending to play Week 5 against the Lions but may sit back on the RB2/3 borderline as his ankle heals.

Holani was listed as a limited practice participant due to a rib injury on Wednesday. The 26-year-old operated as a passing-down backup to Emanuel Wilson in Week 4 with Jadarian Price out. Unless he misses practice later this week, he is still on track to play in Week 5, though Holani does not have a large enough role to achieve fantasy relevance.

Neither Surtain or Riley Moss (ribs) practiced on Wednesday. Head coach Sean Payton said the Broncos don’t anticipate placing Surtain on injured reserve. The injuries to both corners look to be shorter-term; Surtain is week-to-week while Moss’ return timeline is not disclosed yet. Both are on the wrong side of questionable for Week 5 against the Chargers.